My Lifey

Get the kettle on, the biscuits out, and settle in for a belting read. Comic Relief, Top Gear, Catchpoint, and M & S Christmas ads have one big thing in common: TV's man of the moment Paddy McGuinness. How did that happen?

Let Paddy take you back to a terrace in 1970s Bolton, where his girl power story starts. All the significant role models in his life have been women, and the first was his mother. He grew up alone with beloved matriarch Patricia, who worked two jobs to keep food on the table, and Paddy inherited his no-nonsense work ethic from her.

As a young man, he was gainfully employed in multiple jobs around Bolton, while simultaneously starring alongside Peter Kay in hit TV shows. Showbiz wasn't proper graft. He did eventually hand in his notice as a life guard at Horwich Leisure Centre, but he remains resolutely true to his Bolton roots.

Paddy has the profile of a TV entertainer and the paid-up following of a stand-up comedian, with a core of authenticity akin to his hero and fellow Boltonian Fred Dibnah, topped with a sprinkle of Peter Kay stardust. Add a true story of grit, graft, and cheeky luck told with impeccable comic timing, and you've got the showbiz memoir of the year.